SRIPADA ISVARA PURI

The meeting of Sriman Mahaprabhu and Sri Isvara Puripada at Gaya, and the purpose of Mahaprabhu's visit to Gaya:

Today we have come to take darsana of Sripada Isvara Puri's place. Sripada Isvara Puri is not the giver of pancaratrika diksa to Sri Gaurasundara. In discussing Sri Gaurasundara's householder pastime we can see that Sri Gaurasundara pointed out a fault in Sripada Isvara Puri's learning. Before He returned from Gaya, Sri Gaurasundara did not brilliantly enact the pastimes of preaching pure devotional service to us. Gayasura was, in some opinions, the personification of godless fruitive activities, and in other opinions the main preacher of Vedic fruitive activities.

Fruitive activities that follow the Vedic literature are called karmavada. Activities opposed to the Vedic literature have become known in this world as Buddhism. In order to bring the foolish fruitive workers to a comparatively higher position from their lower position without creating confusion in their minds, Sri Gaurasundara went to Gaya. Moreover, in order to display both the uselessness of fruitive activities and the rarity of association with a devotee - and that such association is the ultimate goal of life - Sri Gaurasundara enacted the pastime of becoming a disciple just to protect the dignity of the path of disciplic succession. To do so He surrendered everything, including wealth, education, high birth, duty, pride, and so on. When a fortunate soul gives up all kinds of false ego, or pride, and feels material learning and gentility to be as weak and abominable as the leg of a chicken, only then does he become qualified to take shelter at the lotus feet of a spiritual master.

The relationship between Sri Isvara Puripada and Sri Gaurasundara:

To state that "Sriman Mahaprabhu became Sri Isvara Puri's disciple is a historical fact" is opposed to the truth. Sri Advaita Acarya's five-year-old son, Acyutananda, disclosed this fact to the people of the whole world by. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 12.16) states:

"Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the spiritual master of the fourteen worlds, but You say that someone else is His spiritual master. This is not supported by any revealed scripture."

Sri Gaurasundara is nondifferent from the son of Nanda, and Sri Isvara Puripada is a servant of Krishna. Out of immense good fortune he was allowed to serve Sri Gaurasundara as His spiritual master. If one can become bigger by material calculation simply by being the Supreme Lord's spiritual master, then Nanda and Yasoda would have been bigger than Krishna, and the cowherd Parjanya would have been even bigger than Nanda.

After coming here today I have been hurt by seeing something opposed to the truth. Anyone who knows the Vaisnava conclusion and who has even a little Vaisnava quality - has not such a person come here in recent times? It is an offensive mentality toward the feet of Sri Caitanya that causes such opposing activities to be spread. Alas! We were not eligible to accept the instructions a five-year-old boy once gave us.

The truth about Sri Guru and Gauranga:

Sri Isvara Puripada is a servant of Sri Caitanya Candra. In his book Manah-siksa, Srila Dasa Gosvami Prabhu taught us:

"Always meditate on Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the son of Sri Saci-mata, with the understanding that He is absolutely nondifferent from Sri Krishna, the son of Maharaja Nanda. Dear mind, also meditate on Sri Guru, who is a dearmost devotee of Sri Mukunda, Krishna."

Sacinandana Sri Gaurahari is directly the son of Sri Nanda, and the spiritual master is an extremely dear servant of the Supreme Lord. Therefore Sripada Puri Gosvami is one of the greatest servants of Sri Caitanya and a dearmost servant of Sri Caitanya in the form of His spiritual master.

Criticism of a local incident opposed to the truth:

Secondly, Sripada Isvara Puri did not remain in this world for long. Therefore, there cannot be a deity of him showing him to be an old man. Sripada Puri Gosvami was an ekadandi sannyasi in the disciplic succession coming from Madhva. Sri Gaurasundara's enactment of the pastime of accepting initiation from Sri Isvara Puri took place after Puripada accepted sannyasa. Therefore, Sri Isvara Puri's deity form as a householder wearing dhoti and cadar, and the Deity of Sri Gaurasundara begging initiation from him, is certainly opposed even to historical considerations, what to speak of scriptural truth. Due to Vaisnava aparadha, when the spirit of Mayavada and fruitive activities become prominent, only then do conditioned souls engage in this type of detrimental activity. The installation of Tripurasundari on the same throne as Sri Syamasundara during the time of Sri Ramakrishna Batavyala at Kadadaha is also opposed to Vaisnavism. From the instructions and behavior of Sri Gaurasundara we can see that unless one becomes neutral, one cannot protect religious principles. Since smarthavada, karmavada, nirvisesajnanavada, cit-acit samanvayavada, prakrta sahajiyavada, and so on are dependent and relied on unauthorized philosophies, the pure Vaisnava religion has at present been covered.

The ignorance of the so-called Vaisnava society:

In 1866 when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura tried to collect information about Sri Caitanyadeva in Dinajpura from people dressed as Vaisnavas, some of them told him Gaura and Nityananda were real brothers. Others did not hesitate to speak strange things about Them.

The distinction between krsna-lila and gaura-lila:

Sri Nandanandana enacted the pastime of being a young lover in Dvapara-yuga, and Sri Gaurasundara enacted the pastime of feeling separation from the Lord in this yuga. Sri Krishna did not enact the pastime of accepting a spiritual master, and Sri Gaura did not kidnap another's wife. But the pastime of Sri Krishna, who is the shelter of all, is not adulterous or abominable like the blood-and-flesh enactment of the same thing would be in this world. It is not the mundane rasa of a mundane hero and heroine, who are insignificant, mortal, and punishable by Yamaraja. Sri Krishna is the hero of the entire universe. He is the supreme object for all worshipers and the undisputed enjoyer.

The situation before and after society attained the association of the preacher-devotees of Gaura:

If Sri Gaurasundara's teachings are preached in this world under the guidance of the pure Vaisnava acaryas, then the prestige of the Varanasi Mayavada school in India will be eclipsed. Sri Caitanya-candramrta (verse 19) states:

"A discussion of the impersonal Brahman is not very palatable to a devotee. The so-called regulations of the sastras also appear null and void to him. There are many people who argue over the sastras, but for a devotee, such discussions are but tumultuous roaring."

If Sri Gaurasundara's teachings are preached in Europe, and if the inhabitants of that place ever become fortunate enough to accept them, they will certainly become astonished. If the topics of love of God and pure devotional service that were preached and personally followed by Sri Mahaprabhu are taught in each and every house in Bengal, then the so-called religious-minded people of Bengal will get respite from the iron shackles imposed on them by the smarta society.

"Religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation are known as the four goals of life, but before love of Godhead, the fifth and highest goal, these appear as insignificant as straw in the street."

"For a devotee who has actually developed bhava, the pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kama, and moksa appears like a drop in the presence of the sea."

As published in the
VAKTRTAVALI - GARLAND OF DIVINE DISCOURSES
By His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada
Reproduced with the permission of Touchstone Media. The text may be purchased in its entirety here.